Orange Jordan, the Jordanian Hashemite Development Fund (JOHUD) and the European Union (EU) celebrated the graduation of a new cohort from the Women Digital Centers, a program that the company implements with JOHUD, in cooperation with the “Innovation Space”, a three-year project co-funded by the European Union’s “Innovation for Enterprise Growth and Jobs” program “Innovate Jordan.”

The graduation ceremony was attended by the European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, CEO of Jordan, Thierry Marigny, and the Executive Director of JOHUD, Farah Al-Daghestani.

The recent cohorts comprising 130 young women completed their training through the 8 centers available across the kingdom, including 3 centers under the “Innovation Space” project. The graduates received their certificates after completing the program that aims to reach women across Jordan.

Since the program’s launch, Orange Foundation, the global group’s extension dedicated to philanthropy and social responsibility, has been supporting the Women Digital Centers in line with its support of women in countries where the group operates, through skills that help them grow their projects.

The European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, said: “The future requires people who are empowered with knowledge, ambition, confidence, and expertise to engage in the professional careers of the future, which entail, more and more, digital skills. And this is something the EU will continue to support in Jordan, in line with the national economic vision and the EU-Jordan Partnership Priorities. Among other things, we also aim at strengthening the economic empowerment and participation of women.”

Marginy congratulated the graduates and wished them continuous growth in their projects, noting that Orange Jordan’s corporate social responsibility aims to promote digital empowerment in local communities.

Over 6 months, the Women Digital Centers provide joiners with digital, marketing, personal, and management skills necessary to enhance their contribution to socioeconomic development, he added.

The CEO of Orange Jordan commended the company’s strategic partnership with JOHUD to support women across governorates through the Women Digital Centers which have impacted the lives of 307 women so far, praising the expansion of the program to many areas thanks to the “Innovation Space” project co-funded by the EU and affirming that digital economy requires fostering digital and in-demand skills on the largest scale possible.

During the graduation ceremony, the Executive Director of JOHUD, Farah Al-Daghestani, affirmed the fund’s belief throughout its 45-year journey in the importance of education and training for human development, and women’s participation, particularly economically, to make a sustainable living and enhance their roles as leaders in society.

“Women Digital Centers enabled women and young ladies to find a supportive innovative space, access training in e-marketing skills, launch locally competitive projects that generate income and grow in management and marketing online, noting that many of the women found job opportunities in their communities,” Al-Daghestani added.

JOHUD’s Executive Director recognized Orange Jordan’s support of the fund’s Women Digital Center project, in line with their partnership for 21 years, to ensure inclusive empowerment and enable everyone to actively contribute to economic development. She also expressed appreciation for the EU’s inclusion of 3 Women Digital Centers under the “Innovation Space” project, as well as the BIG incubator at JOHUD’s center in Aqaba.

The “Innovation Space” project supports the expansion of Orange Jordan’s digital programs to include 9 Community Digital Centers, 5 new coding academies, 5 FabLabs, 8 start-up accelerators and incubators, in addition to an “Innovation Hub” at the Orange Digital Village in Amman.

The European Union funded "Innovation Space" is a pioneering initiative in Jordan and a one-stop-shop for digital innovation and entrepreneurial support. It will introduce digital culture to the wider Jordanian public, foster digital skills, especially among women and youth, and promote and nurture entrepreneurship by identifying key opportunities for digital economic growth.